Tuesdays with Dorie BWJ: Buttermilk Bread

Lora Brody’s Buttermilk Bread is one I’ve been wanting to make for a while now. Sounds simple and homey and a nice thing to bake on a cold day.

The recipe in the book calls for making the bread dough in a bread machine, which I don’t have, so I made it in my stand mixer instead. I swapped a 50/50 water/liquid buttermilk combo for the water/powdered buttermilk in the recipe. While I used the full 2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast, I think I could have gotten away with just 2 teaspoons. I basically followed the mixing instructions we used when we did the White Loaves years ago, since they seemed pretty standard for this type of bread. I then switched back to Brody’s instructions for rising and baking.

This made a nice sandwich loaf, and maybe next time I’ll try it in the cloverleaf roll variation. The bread has maple syrup in the dough, so there’s a hint of sweetness there, and I think the crust is really good (I’m the weirdo who likes the end pieces). I’m looking forward to pulling slices from the freezer for grilled cheese!

Thanks Shirley! I didn’t use an egg wash here…After I shaped the dough and put it into the loaf pan for its final rise, I brushed the top with some clarified butter. I really only did this so the plastic wrap wouldn’t stick to the risen dough, but it may have helped make a nice crust, too.

I love homemade bread. I also love the ends. A pbj sandwich is a favorite with a glass of milk. I used to have a bread machine and it was so nice to wake up in the morning to the smell of baking bread. Thanks for sharing this post. lori